Michigan Defense
Defensive Line
Linebackers
Secondary

Overall Defensive Analysis
This should be the strength of the team, with several returning starters, especially along the D-line. Having to replace big parts of the linebacking corps and secondary may be troublesome, but the defensive line is expected to be somewhat dominant. As long as they keep the pressure on, the other units might not have to do too much.

Keys to Defensive Success
The Mike Barwis factor may get more press than it deserves, but the defensive line was consistently winded during games last year, and if they are all in shape to go for an entire game, they should bring a lot of success to the offense. With the more aggressive defensive schemes of Scott Shafer, the corners will have to be able to get a good jam on receivers, and the new safeties will have to prevent giving up big plays. Another thing that might be helpful is to score some points on their own, since the offense may struggle to do so.

Posted under Analysis

Michigan Offense
Offensive Backs
Receiving Corps
Offensive Line

Overall Offensive Analysis
The youth and inexperience at quarterback and offensive line (and to a certain extent, receiver) could mean bad things for the Michigan offense this year. The running backs will provide a certain degree of consistency. The slots are very young, but the system is tailored to their skill sets, and they should have some success.

Keys to Offensive Success
Quarterback play is essential in this system, and it will be especially crucial in 2008 with youth at the position. The quarterbacks will have to distribute the ball to the playmakers (enough of which there are to run a successful offense) and avoid making mistakes and committing turnovers. The offense has to keep the ball, and allow the defense to get a bit of rest. Since the defense is expected to be fairly dominant, the offense’s main job is to not screw up.

Posted under Analysis

As a college football junkie, nothing is more pleasing to me than being able to watch the game every day of the week as I await the upcoming season. Yes, this even includes the 2002 Purdue-Iowa game that I am watching at 2:00 in the morning. Of course, there is also a lot of crap, and they have no idea how to run an internship program, but being able to watch college football right now is a godesend.

Screw you, Comcast, for robbing me of this experience for a year. And screw you even more for acting sanctimonious about carrying the network now. everyone knows you’re full of crap, why try to lie about it more?

Posted under Misc.

So, Kevin Newsome appears to be out. Aside from losing a highly-rated player from the class of 2009, how will this affect the Michigan Wolverines?
At quarterback, Michigan is now in search of a replacement for one of its best players in the class. Thankfully, the coaches seemed to have some idea that this decommitment was possible, and even likely, as they continued pursuing a pair of highly-touted passers as contingency plans. While neither Tate Forcier nor Eugene Smith has the high upside that Newsome does, Forcier might actually be ready to play sooner, having had a private quarterback coach for a number of years. Despite Michigan’s class being seemingly full, Forcier consistently named the Wolverines among his top choices. Now that there is an opening, will Forcier jump at the opportunity, or be insulted that he was a backup plan? We might see shortly after Forcier’s recently-confirmed August 30th official visit to Michigan (for the Utah game).

Speaking of Forcier being a backup plan, this may be a slight misrepresentation of the facts. Of course, Kevin Newsome was Michigan’s #1 quarterback target. However, after Newsome’s commitment, Forcier and Shavodrick Beaver seemed to each know that the first to commit to Michigan would be the second signal-caller in the class. When Beaver was ready first, two players who were tied for #2 suddenly changed from an even race to a bird-in-hand/bird-in-bush comparison, where Beaver was given the benefit of the doubt over Forcier. So, while neither was the number one quarterback, both were in Michigan’s top 3 (of course, after Russel Shepard became unavailable) from the get-go.

What else does this mean for Michigan? While Newsome had good relationships with some of Michigan’s other commits, namely Bryce McNeal, these relationships clearly weren’t strong enough to convince Newsome to stick with Michigan, so I would be surprised if they were strong enough to convince anyone else to jump ship. McNeal also has a strong relationship with seemingly rock-solid Shavodrick Beaver, . If anything, his relationship with Newsome might help pull Kevin back into the fold (though I think this is unlikely either way).

Overall, the Michigan recruiting class will depend heavily on whether the team has success on the field in 2008. If it is an ugly year on the field, a few guys may look elsewhere, and the class could go downhill. however, losing one recruit in August (while there is still time to recover) does not a disaster make.

Editor’s note: I’m not sure if the childhood picture is of Tate or Chris, but the point remains that the Forciers love Michigan.

Posted under Recruiting

Kevin Newsome has decommitted from Michigan as per Scout (info in header). While this doesn’t necessarily mean that Newsome will go elsewhere, it is obviously not a good sign. Luckily for Michigan, even if Newsome does decide to go elsewhere there are two other high caliber guys (Tate Forcier and Eugene Smith) who are still interested and available.

More info later.

Non-Informative Update:
For those of you sad about Newsome, hopefully this helps:

Via Hoover Street Rag (who vias others).

Posted under Recruiting

Projected Depth Chart

Safeties and Nickels
Safeties Jamar Adams and Brandent Englemon are gone, but Junior Stevie Brown will be given another chance to start at safety, and the other spot will likely be manned by senior Brandon Harrison or 5th-year senior Charles Stewart. At nickel, redshirt freshman Michael Williams may get some playing time, or he could even move into the safety rotation.

Stats

Corners
5th-year senior Morgan Trent and sophomore sensation Donovan Warren are back to man the corner positions. Trent is blessed with speed, and Waren is a pure cover man. Woolfolk may be one of the first backups, along with Nickelman Brandon Harrison. Freshman Boubacar Cissoko will likely contribute as well.

Stats

Notes: Rogers is expected to move to offense this year.

Analysis
After the implosions of the App State and Oregon games, Johnny Sears was booted from the team, Stevie Brown was relegated to backup duty, and the Michigan secondary quietly became one of the best in the country. Trent and Warren comprise one of the best cornerback duos in the conference if not the nation. Stevie Brown is a good athlete and big hitter, and if he has taken the time to grasp the mental aspects of the position, should become a great safety down the line. Brandon Harrison is little and speedy, but most known for whiffing on sacks in nickel blitz situations. Several of Michigan’s backup DBs have had injury issues in the past, which are hopefully gone with the reign of Mike Barwis. The freshmen will contribute some, but mainly to get playing time for future years, not because their services are absolutely required.

Posted under Analysis, Personnel

On the Big Ten Network’s Michigan special last night, head coach Rich Rodriguez revealed that defensive tackle John Ferrara has moved to the offensive line. What does this mean?

For the defense, the dpeth at tackle is probably developing well. Despite the loss of Marques Slocum, the unit could clearly afford the loss of a depth player who was decent, but nothing special. Renaldo Sagesse and Jason Kates are likely turning into capable backups, meaning that Ferrara was free to move elsewhere.

For the offense, this adds another body to a unit that sorely needs some depth. With both Corey Zirbel (a projected starter) and Mark Huyge (a key backup) out of the time being with injuries (a minor ligament issue and a high ankle sprain, respectively), he can help make sure there are enough players to have backups. Also making up for Zirbel’s loss, David Molk will move in as the starter at center, and David Moosman will move to guard.

Ferrara will likely get a better shot at playing time than he would have on the other side of the ball, and his reported strong summer in the weight room can help him become a contributor.

Posted under Personnel

Texas kicker Anthony Fera has given his word to become a Michigan Wolverine. The 6-2, 215-lber from Houston (St. Pius X) becomes the 15th commit in the class of 2009.

Player Notes
Fera took a Michigan visit over the summer, though he missed Michigan’s kicking camp, hosted by former UM kicker Brandon Kornblue. During his performance at the regular Michigan camp, however, Michigan fans were unnerved by reports that his leg was strong but not accurate. However, that is something that Michigan’s coaches were not overly concerned about, or that their special teams coaches will have to concentrate on fixing. He is rated by Chris Sailer Kicking as the #2 overall kicker in the class of 2009, and the #1 kicker left uncommitted. He has a strong, (maybe) accurate leg, and could see time kicking or punting in the future.

Recruiting Notes
Though Fera was unable to attend Michigan’s kicking camp, the individual focus on him may have paid off in the long run. While the rumored inaccuracies in his kicking likely delayed the tendering of a scholarship offer, they did not prevent him from receiving one. Ohio State and Penn State were the primary competition for Fera, though each was unwilling to offer him a scholarship for the class of 2009. Each was giving a greyshirt offer. However, once Penn State offered a full scholarship, Rich Rodriguez liked what he saw and made a full scholarship offer of his own to Fera, which he accepted almost immediately.

Video
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=he5R6-pKagc&hl=en&fs=1]

Posted under Recruiting

The Board is here. The updates are here:

New Information:
MD OL Brennan Williams. Down to 4 (BC, Mich, Duke, Wake).
FL TE Orson Charles. Knee surgery, will narrow to a top 5 soon.
OH DE Davon Custis. His leader is Boston College.
FL LB Brandin Hawthorne. His final two has changed. Michigan is still in it. Things still look rosy here.
FL S Vlad Emilien. Top 5 of UNC, Wake, tOSU, Mich, UF. He will probably decide in November.
AR CB Darius Winston. He has accelerated his timetable drastically. This is a bad thing for Michigan, but if he picks the Wolverines, then hooray.
FL CB Josh Robinson. Decision on November 30 (USF and UCF seem to lead).
VA CB Javanti Sparrow. Top 6 doesn’t include Michigan, and Kevin Newsome is no longer his teammate. Should he be dropped soon?

Etc.:
A really crappy article that seems to think Winston is a Mich commit. A good sign? Probably not.

Posted under Recruiting

Philosophy: There has to be some sort of hybrid between how good you think teams are on an absolute scale and how well you think they will perform against their schedule over the course of the season. That happy medium is what I was aiming for here. Better (predictions of) records are more likely to be found near the top, but there may be some inconsistency in that, as a 10-2 ACC team may not be as good as an 8-4 SEC team. In the end, it’s all a guess anyway, so here’s what I’ve come up with.

1. Ohio State. Say what you want about the Buckeyes’ inability to compete in back-to-back title games, I can’t knock a team that made it to the championship in consecutive years. Considering the fact that Ohio State was supposed to be down last year, still made it to the title game, and returns 19 starters, I have a hard time picking anyone else.
2. Florida. The pass defense shouldn’t be any worse than it was last year, and the defense on the whole has to improve. On offense, the returning Heisman trophy winner calls the signals, with the electric Percy Harvin playing utilityman. USC transfer Emmanuel Moody (on the team but ineligible last year) should provide a traditional running threat outside of Tebow and Harvin for a more balanced Gator offense.
3. Georgia. They would probably have been my #2 before the recent hits to their roster (LT has season-ending knee injury, several players out for the opener), but they have enough talent in Knowshonn Moreno and an improving Matt Stafford calling the signals, the offense should be good despite a fairly green offensive line (Georgia has overachieved with young lines before in the Mark Richt era). On defense, they have the talent to be very good, but not dominant. Against a really tough schedule, I expect a slipup or two by the Dogs.
4. USC. The Trojans’ stars this year are on defense, with Rey Maualuga and Brian Cushing leading in the uber-talented linebackers. USC is loaded with five-stars on both sides of the ball, though the offense has a little too much uncertainty for me. Mark Sanchez wasn’t particularly great in his non-Notre Dame action, and a knee injury suffered in non-contact drills may not bode well for his season. Taking into account that he is playing behind a nearly entirely-new offensive line, and I’m a bit of a skeptic.
5. Oklahoma. The Sooners return their entire offensive line from last year, and Sam Bradford should expect to keep his jersey pretty clean again this year. The defense, however has a lot of starters to replace, and since Adrian Peterson left (all of 1 season ago), the running backs haven’t been able to produce consistently. A fairly easy schedule should help Oklahoma stay on the winning track for most of the year.
6. Missouri. Chase Daniel, the 35-year old pizza delivery man posing as a quarterback, should excel again in 2008 throwing it to Jeremy Maclin, who is also going to show of his talents in the return game this year. The defense was good but not OMG Awesome last year, and if they improve, Missouri might start to make a move toward being a perennial contender in the Big 12. For this season, however, they’ll need to focus on getting the ground game going without Tony Temple.
7. Clemson. They have the talent seemingly every year (since the ACC has started slipping, at least), but haven’t been able to put together a championship run quite yet. However, Tommy Bowden owns his dad, and Virginia Tech, the other big shot in the ACC, losing its entire run game going into the season, you have to expect Clemson to be the head-and-shoulders favorite to take home the conference crown. The schedule isn’t too easy, with several key games on the road, but Clemson should still walk away with their division.
8. West Virginia. I’m not as high on West Virginia as many people may be, mostly because I think Bill Stewart was a knee-jerk hire as head coach, and will have limited success. When supporting him, a lot of folks point to the Fiesta Bowl, without noting that many of the coaches from that team (including the man who called the plays) are now plying their trade in Ann Arbor. Pat White is a hell of a talent, but he will have to do it on his own more than any time in recent memory. Noel Devine is an electric talent, but I don’t see him carrying as much of the load as a #1 back should.
9. Texas. Though several players on the Longhorns are first-time starters, they have talent, as the great classes Mack Brown signed around the Vince Young/National Title era should start coming of age. Colt McCoy is a solid quarterback, and though I think he is overrated, he is a multi-year starter nonetheless. The bowl victory over Arizona State should serve as a stepping stone to a strong 2008 season.
10. LSU. Speaking of teams that stockpile talent, LSU is loaded. Though they dismissed their likely starter at quarterback, Ryan Perrilloux, the ground game, receivers, and offensive line should help a relatively inexperienced signal-caller get his feet wet. The defense should crush opponents, led by an insanely talented line. Despite being national champions, the Tigers were far from dominant last year, with both their victories and defeats coming by relatively small margins. Expect bigger wins this year, though perhaps not as many of them.
11. Wisconsin. The Badgers will benefit from a relatively weak Big Ten (for the second year in a row), and their biggest hole is not having an experienced caretaker under center. Allan Evridge doesn’t move as well as the outgoing Tyler Donovan, but he really shouldn’t have to behind a strong line. On defense, the secondary was suspect last year, and they lose their best player in Jack Ikegwuonu. The run D was pretty mediocre as well, and will have to improve. The more I type, the more I want to move the Badgers down, so I’ll just stop now.
12. Texas Tech. The Red Raiders have a high-flying offense with lots of forward passes, and their defense is expected to be better this year than it has been in recent years. If they can turn shootouts into blowouts, look for Texas Tech to make a big move. The schedule shakes out pretty easy in the beginning of the year, and if Tech can ride that momentum, a championship run might not be out of the question.
13. Penn State. According to Penn State fans, losing Anthony Morelli is essentially an addition-by-subtraction move, and the much-discussed Spread HD offense, perhaps an attempt to recapture the mojo of 2005, should take advantage of the better mobility of Darryl Clark and Pat Devlin. Though the defensive line has lost some talent to dismissals, and linebacker Sean Lee is out for the year with an ACL tear, I’m hesitant to predict anything below “very good” for the PSU defense. If the offense can start performing to its talent, the Nittany Lions should be pretty good in ’08.
14. Auburn. Designated Spread Stoppers are expected to have a strong defense (and they’d best live up to their reputation, as they have West Virginia away from home in a night game). The offense has something of an identity crisis on its hands, as the Tigers consider a more wide-open attack. The SEC schedule is tough, but Auburn should be able to get through near the top of the SEC West.
15. Oregon. Though they lose Dennis Dixon (which they should be used to by now, considering it happened h
    alfway through ’07) and Jonathan Stewart, Oregon should reload at running back, and fill in a capable but not Heisman-worthy player at QB. The rest of the team remains strong, and it may just be the Michigan beatdown speaking, but this team has a lot of potential to do good things.
16. USF. I don’t want to rank South Florida this high, since I feel like they never really should have reached their lofty #2 ranking last fall. However, be-mohawked QB Matt Grothe returns, and the defense has a terror off the edge in George Selvie. This D has stopped West Virginia the past two years, and I honestly expect them to do it again this year. I guess that means I should have them ranked more closely to the Mountaineers, but again, the skepticism from my feelings about last year. Maybe it’s not quite justified, but I’ll go with feeling on this one.
17. Tennessee. The Volunteer blogosphere is abuzz with discussion of the “clawfense,” the new-and-presumably-improved offense that Coordinator Dave Clawson is going to unveil this fall. The offensive line should be strong enough to let him try some things, and the running game should open up some passing lanes. Though the schedule is pretty tough (though I really do have a hard time with the “these guys are in the SEC, therefore they are good, the SEC has these guys, therefore it is good” argument – which didn’t manage to dissuade me from ranking 2 SEC teams in the top 3 and 3 in the top 10), they should make a big leap forward on defense if their recruiting rankings are to be believed.
18. Arizona State. Don’t let the bowl blowout to Texas fool you, this team should be pretty good. They ran hot-and-cold last year, either blowing out the opponent or getting blown out in most of their games (Washington State, UCLA, and Arizona were their only games within 1 score – all Devils victories). Rudy Carpenter, if he doesn’t get crushed behind a porous offensive line, should be one of the better QBs in the nation. The defense won’t wow you, but they have the talent to stop some teams.
19. Virginia Tech. The Hokies might be included only because it feels like they should be in a preseason poll (see: Wolverines, Michigan), but damnit, it doesn’t feel right without them. The run game will likely go into the crapper with Branden Ore Dismissed and his two backups nursing knee injuries. The defense should be lunch-pail-tastic as usual, though, and the ACC schedule doesn’t provide as many challenges as it used to.
20. Pitt. Despite a fairly crappy year in 2007, I expect to see Pitt perform much better in 2008. They had a rash of injuries early last year that set the tone for the season. However, they were able to turn it around late in the year, capped off by their upset victory in the Backyard Brawl. LeSean McCoy is an exciting player, and if the Panthers can stay healthy, they should be able to build a solid team around him.
21. Oklahoma State. It was the Cowboys, not the Red Raiders, who had the Big 12’s most prolific offense last year, though that may have been overshadowed by press conference hilarity from the head coach. Another thing that kept PSU from getting more attention last year for its on-field exploits was a really crappy defense. If they can mature with their experience and improve with the addition of more talent, there could be some excitement in Stillwater.
22. Illinois. I think Illinois is overrated in most preseason polls this year, seeing as how the Illini lost their two best players. Their #3 and #4 are pretty good too, however, and Arrelius Benn should lead the offense with his exciting catches and yards thereafter, while Vontae Davis closes off one side of the opponents’ offensive field. If Juice Williams continues improving (he was serviceable as a passer last year after being god-awful in his first go-round in Champaign), the offense can cope with the loss of Rashard Mendenhall. To help the defense recover from graduating American Hero J Leman, highly-recruited Martez Wilson will shift from end to linebacker. Hey may not warrant top-25 consideration, but I’m running out of teams that do warrant it, and the Illini are right on the fringe.
23. Utah. Maybe BYU should be getting the mid-major poll love, but I look at the Utes and see a very strong offensive team, and a rather solid defense as well. If they can stay healthy, Utah should win the Mountain West in my opinion (over the Cougars). With an upset victory in Ann Arbor a possibility, the Utes might be non-BCSdom’s best shot at making it to one of the big 5 this year.
24. Nebraska. Well, they can’t be worse, and Bo Pelini brought Nebraska its best defense in a long time in his lone year as coordinator, and though he is the headman rather than coordinator, I think the blackshirts may be back. Considering the fact that the offense was really good when Joe Ganz was the starter, and he is back this year, there should be improvement on both sides of the ball, and a return to respectability for the Huskers.
25. Michigan. The defense will be really good, and the offense is a really big question mark. I put my faith in the godfather of the zone-read offense, and foresee an improvement from last year’s (surprisingly bad) showing. It may just be my fervent following of the program, but I think change in Ann Arbor was just what the doctor ordered. They likely won’t challenge for the conference crown, but look for 2008 to be more solid than many prognosticators believe.

Teams that just missed the cut include Cincinnati and Kansas. Teams that were not on the cusp include Notre Dame, Michigan State, and Northwestern.

Any major disagreements here? I’m interested to know what everyone else thinks.

Posted under BlogPoll